Wall panel



Oct. 27, 1959 G. J. MILLSTINE WALL PANEL F J y 29, 1953 FITTORNEV United States a fi WALL PANEL Gilbert J. Miilstine, Ingomar, Pa., assignor to H. Robertson Company, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application July 29, 1953, Serial No. 370,988 1 Claim. (Cl. 18934) This invention relates to a sheet metal wall panel.

The invention has for a principal object to provide a novel and improved sheet metal wall panel which is characterized by its light weight, its rigidity, simplicity of component parts, economy of manufacture and the ease with which it may be assembled in the field.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel sheet metal panel structure of the type having an inner facing sheet and outer facing sheet and a sub-girt system to which the outer facing sheet is fastened during erection of the panel structure, characterized by the provision of novel, efficient and economical means for preventing deformation of the sub-girt system during erection of the outer facing sheet.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a novel, efiicient and economical method of erecting a wall panel structure of the type above referred to.

With these general objects in view and such others as may hereinafter appear, the invention consists in the novel wall panel, in the method of erecting the same and in the various structures hereinafter described and particularly claimed at the end of this specification.

In the drawing illustrating the present invention:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation showing the assembled wall panel;

Fig. 2 is a section of the assembled panel illustrated in Fig. 1 taken on line 2-2;

Fig. 3 is a section of the panel structure shown in Fig. 1 taken on line 3-3;

Fig. 4 is a cross section taken on-line 4-4 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the present novel spacing and stiffening element.

In general the present invention contemplates a novel construction of sheet metal wall panel which is particularly characterized by its light weight, its relatively rigid construction, its economy of manufacture, and which may be assembled and fastened to the framework of a building in a novel, eflicient and economical manner. In accordance with the invention the present wall panel structure comprises two sheet metal facing sheets assembled in opposed spaced relation. The inner sheets are each provided with male and female lips along their marginal side edges for interlocking engagement with the corresponding lips of adjacent inner sheets to form continuous inner facing wall which may be bolted or otherwise secured to the building framework. The outer facing sheet is preferably corrugated and is secured to the inner sheet in spaced relation therefrom by means of a sub-girt system preferably comprising lightweight metal bars welded to the female lips of each panel unit and to which the outer facing sheets are screwed or otherwise fastened. A body of insulating material is interposed between the sub-girt system and the inner facing sheets to insulate the panel and thereby to provide a completely insulated building wall. Provision is made for preventing deformation or. bending of the and detachably hung thereon with the Ice lightweight girt. system during drilling of holes therethrough for the reception of the screws or other fasteners, as will be described.

Referring now to the drawing illustrating the preferred embodiment of the present invention, 10 represents an assembled wall panel embodying the novel features of the present invention comprising a flat metal inner facing sheet 12 which is adapted to be secured to the framework of a building, and a corrugated metal facing sheet 14 arranged to be secured in opposed spaced relation to said inner sheet 12.

In accordance with the present invention the inner fiat sheet 12 is provided: along its opposed marginal side edges with male and femaleinwardly turned lips 16, 18' extended the length'of the sheet. In assembling the wallpanel 10, a plurality of inner sheets 12 are connected together by insertingthe male lips 16 of adjacent panels into the female lips 18 of said panels. Thus, a plurality of panels are assembled in side by side rela-' tion, forming the inner wall 20 of the panel 10. In order to provide a watertight joint between the interlocked lips 16, 18, the latter may be caulked with a suitable waterproof cement 2'1.

Referring. now to Fig. 3 in particular, the inner sheets 12 are secured to the framework of the building by bolts, welding or otherwise, and a plurality of said sheets assembled inside by side relation forming the. inner facing wall of the panels. In order to assemble the outer sheet 14 in opposed spaced relation thereto, a plurality of transversely extended, elongated narrow lightweight metal sub-girts 24 are welded to the female lips 18, as shown. The sub-girts 24 may each be of sufiicient length to form a substantially continuous subgirt extending horizontally across the entire length of the building well, although if desired the sub-girts may be of any desired length. In the preferred embodiment of the invention I prefer to provide three of said sub-girts per panel section in order to provide the panel with the necessary rigidity. However, the number may be varied in accordance with the building requirements in a particular type of building.

Because the sub-girts 24 are light in weight they are liable to be deformed and bent under drilling pressure when the holes are drilled for the reception of the self-tapping screws by which the corrugated outer sheets are secured to the sub-girts. In accordance with the present invention the su-b-girts, or portions thereof within each panel section, are supported and reinforced against such deformation by chair members 30. These serve to maintain the inner and outer sheets in uniformly spaced relation to each other to form an attractive plumb outer exposed wall surface. Referring now to Figs. 4 and 5, the chairs 30 are preferably generally U-shaped in section and provided with an upwardly and downwardly turned hook-shaped lip 32 in the upper portion of the closed base 34 thereof. The hook-shaped lip 32 is particularly adapted to be hooked over the sub-girts 24 free ends 36, 38 extended at substantially right angles to the sub-girts 24. In erecting the panels, one chair 30 may be hung upon each sub-girt 24, substantially midway between the interlocked male and female lips 16, 18 of the inner sheet 12 of each panel section. The free ends 36, 38 of the chair are of a length to engage the inner sheet, the closed base 34 being firmly pressed against the inner face of the sub-girt 24, as best shown in Fig. 4. The chairs 30 accomplish a dual purpose, namely, to increase the rigidity of the panel and sub-girt system and to properly space the inner and outer sheets from each other.

In the preferred form of the invention, a body of insulating material 40 may be interposed between the inner sheet 12 and the sub-girts 24 to fully insulate the panels. It is preferred to utilize fiber-glass insulation, but many other forms of insulating material may be used if desired.

Following the usual practice, successive rows of panel sections may be erected in the manner described and with adjacent top and bottom portions overlapped and the overlapped portions secured together with a Waterproof cement interposed therebetween, forming a tight joint between said rows and preferably by one or more self-tapping screws 50 through the overlapped portions.

While it is preferred to hang the chairs 30 upon the sub-girts, it will be understood that v in some instances the chairs may be secured in place by other methods and in some instances merely held in position by the insulation until the drilling of the sub-girts has been completed.

The present invention. has been found to eliminate any tendency of the suh-girts to deform under drilling pressure and to enable the sub-girts to be constructed of lightweight metal.

Having thus described the invention, What is claimed A sheet metal wall panel comprising a plurality of panel units erectedside by side, each unit comprising an inner sheet metal sheet secured to the framework of the building, and having outwardly extended lips on the two side edges thereof, one lip being a tongue-like male lip and the other a U-shaped female lip, with the male lips projecting into adjoining U-shaped lips; a sub-girt system for the contiguous panel units comprising a plurality of vertically spaced, substantially horizontal metal sub- 30 '4 gir-t members, welded to the female lips and spanning the distance between the lips on each side of a sheet; an outer corrugated metal facing sheet secured to said sub-girts by means of self-tapping screws at points between said welded points of attachment of the sub-girts to the female lips of the inner facing sheets; and a U- shaped spacing and stifiening member between said subgirt and said inner sheet, the bight of the U including a flat face, abutting the sub-girt, the legs of said stiffening member extending from the bight, in a horizontal direction, into abutting contact with said inner sheet, the upper edge of the abutting flat face of said spacing and stiffening member being provided with a hook-shaped lip which is hooked over the sub-girt to retain said spacing and stiffening member in place between said welded points of attachment of the sub-girt to the female lips of the inner facing sheets.

References Cited in the file of this patent 

